Success as an economist is influenced by: 

1. Technical skills (your toolkit).
2. Ability to identify important topics / gaps in our understanding.
3. Conceptual skill: linking question – theory – methods – estimable model.
4. Teasing out the implications of the findings in meaningful ways, e.g., implications for the discipline.
5. Insightful new understanding of how the system works.
6. Implications for policy.